Whispers in the dark
by Cheesymuffins
Summary: Zuko finds solitude in the stone cold mask and an escape from his lonely childhood while Katara finds memories of fire and a story of a great heroine. Zutara
1. The Way of the Bored Swords

Title: Whispers in the Dark

Author: Cheesymuffins

Rating: K+ who knows? it might go up

Disclaimor: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender, Viacom does (as they have been making extremly clear lately) if I did, I'd at least TREAT THE FANS BETTER!! -cough- yea...

Summary: The Blue Spirit is more to some people than the man who saved the avatar. His story goes back further into the past and into another nation. It is possibly the most mysterious and the most frightful of all tales. Is he an alter ego that some wish to be? Is she a heroine that wishes to free her people? Or is it the ties that will bond a relationship destined to be born.

P.S.: Kianta is Katara's mother's name in here. What does it mean? No idea.

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Katara tip-toed to her parents' room and shook her mother awake. Kianta's tired blue eyes gazed upon her five-year-old daughter's in worry. "Katara?"

Katara climbed into her mother's arms and snuggled for warmth, "I had another nightmare," Big blue eyes emerged from Kianta's arms, "Can I sleep with you mommy?"

Kianta smiled softly at her little girl and wrapped the blanket around them both. Kianta began to hum a soft melody that her own mother used to sing to her as a little girl to Katara. Katara's eyes began to droop and her mouth curved into a soft smile. Soon, the memory of the bad nightmare was gone, but before Katara surrendered herself to sleep she gazed up worriedly to her mother.

"Mommy, when is daddy coming home?" The young waterbender asked quietly. For a short period of time at the South Pole, there was a lack of fish; which also meant that there was no seal, and no seal meant no food. So Hakota and some the men of the tribe left on a dangerous journey to find more food and bring it safely back home.

Kianta sighed and gazed at the lonely spot that once occupied her loving husband. "He'll be home soon. And when he comes back, we won't have to eat anymore seaweed soup," Katara stuck out her tongue in disgust at the words of seaweed soup and her mother chuckled.

Now more awake, Katara sat up and grinned from ear to ear. "Mommy can you tell me the story of the Blue Spirit?"

"Sure, but you need to promise that you'll go to bed right after ok?" Katara nodded and Kianta sat up as well and hugged Katara closer to her as she recalled the tale from three years ago.

"The Blue Spirit was once a normal person living here like you and me. But one day, the Fire Nation came and took away her home. They made her and all her friends and family into slaves and forced them to do hard labor out in the cold."

"And the Blue Spirit didn't like that very much; did she mommy?" Katara stated matter-of-factly.

"Nope, so you know what she did?" Kianta poked Katara's nose gently.

"She stood up against the Fire Nation and stopped them from hurting people!" Katara said grabbing her mother's finger.

"That's right; the Blue Spirit snuck into the Fire Nation strongholds at night and freed prisoners. She used her broadswords to chop off their chains and whisked them away to this very village. And she keep going back to get more and more people from the evil Fire Nation clutches." Kianta morphed her hands into claws and wiggled her fingers.

Katara jumped up and moved her arms around her, "Yeah! She waterbended the pants off of the Fire Nation."

Kianta grabbed Katara and tickled her. Katara giggled and giggled until tears fell from her eyes. Katara looked up at her when she stopped and smiled. "The Blue Spirit saved me mommy! Do you remember that?" Katara kneeled down and placed her hand at her stomach. "I was this tall remember?" Kianta nodded. "I was so scared that the Fire Nation would get me, but the Blue Spirit saved me! She told the Fire Nation to leave me alone and she waterbended them aside like little snowflakes!" Katara grinned at her mother and lay down.

Kianta rubbed Katara's back and began to hum again. Katara's soft, tired voice rose from the furs. "Mommy, will you teach me how to use bored swords?"

Kianta chuckled, "You mean broad swords my little snowflake?" Katara nodded and slowly fell asleep. Kianta's tired blue eyes glistened. "When you get older Katara, I'll teach you…"

* * *

Confused yet? Katara's mother is the Blue Spirit from three years ago. She helped against a Fire Nation attack and saved Katara's life and only Katara knows who she is. Now, don't go "heeey! teh blu sprits a dude!1" stories that orginate from one nation might just so happen to be altered once it reaches another shore. Fire nation probably wouldnt want to say some waterbending chick kicked their sorry a-- while in the South pole so they might change it up a bit so they don't sound weak.

Please tell me if I should continue with this story, and don't worry, the zutara will be happening. Give it time.

Peace out!


	2. Zuko's River

Chapter two of Whispers in the Dark

I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Zuko is 7 years old and yes, this was before Azulon died and his mother "left"

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Zuko kicked his feet in the small river that flowed into the Fire Palace and out again into the large Fire Nation capital. The seven year old boy's mother had once told him that the river began at the Great Sea and more than once Zuko had considered making a small raft and sailing away into the large ocean. Zuko always came to this stream when he wanted to get away from his sister and her friends' pranks. The cool water was a nice change from the humid Fire Nation weather.

Zuko sometimes wondered what it was like behind the walls of the palace. He heard of war at almost all times of the day and was increasingly growing bored of it. What was the point of war and power anyway? It never made sense to Zuko, but he never spoke those words to anyone except his mother, who he knew felt the same way.

There were times in Zuko's life when he wished he was never a prince. He was given too many responsibilities and too much was expected from him. Firebending for instance. Zuko liked to firebend, but he wanted to learn at his own pace. His father expected him to be a prodigy like Azula, but no matter how hard he tried, he was never good enough.

"Maybe if I was someone else father," Zuko said with tears in his eyes, "I'd make you proud…"

Something shiny in the water caught his eye. Zuko peered into the water and almost lost sight of it. Zuko took a deep breath and dived in; thankfully the water wasn't very swift. When he reemerged with the object, he climbed back onto the ground and scrutinized it.

It was a blue and white mask. He turned it over and examined the face; the huge smile scared him slightly and the black eyes seemed to pour into his own.

"What do you have there Zuko?" Zuko almost dropped the mask in fright. He turned sharply and held the mask to his stomach. Zuko relaxed when he saw that it was his mother.

"I'm not sure," Zuko handed the mask to her, "I think it's a mask,"

Ursa gazed at the mask in surprise, "Zuko, where did you get this?" She asked him quickly.

"I f-found it in the river," Zuko said nervously, his mother had never spoken to him like that before.

Ursa's eyes soften and she handed the mask back to Zuko, "That is the Blue Spirit mask,"

Zuko tilted his head in confusion, "The Blue Spirit?"

Ursa nodded and sat with her son, "Three years ago an army went to invade the South Pole. But the natives struck back. The army officials described a man with dual broad swords in a blue mask had snuck in and set the slaves free," There seemed to be a small gleam of joy in Ursa's eyes as she said that. "They were very descriptive of the mask; I believe this is the same design they spoke of." Ursa pointed to the mask. "If you want to keep that mask Zuko, then don't show it to anyone."

All through the story Zuko had been staring at the mask's cold lifeless eyes with glee. It intrigued him and he most definitely wanted to keep it. Ursa smiled and nodded and left the young boy unaware of the future that mask would set for him…

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yea I know, short chapter

please review :)


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